TF&TF AU Ties That Bind Chap 1 Bad Beginnings
by storygirl420
Summary: Brianne Spilner moved 2 L.A. & started a job Racers Edge . When she befriends Mia Torreto she has no idea the wild ride th is in store for her. When Dom brings her in2 the fold she will find that some ties really are binding.
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Fast and The Furious AU Ties That Bind Chapter One Bad Beginnings

Author: Jeanine Stice

Summery: Brianne Erin Spilner just moved to L.A. and started a job at Racers Edge working for Harry. She has no friends and no family but when she befriends Mia Torreto she has no idea the wild ride that she in store for her. When Dom brings her into the fold she will find that some ties really are binding. (That's right folks Brian is a girl in this and **not **a cop, thought I'd try something new!)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Dom or Mia , right it's more like _they _own **me**. I don't own the Fast & the Furious Too Fast and Too Furious or any characters therein or anything _else _you recognize from the world in the story herein…other then that, it's all mine. Not getting a dime for any of this (yeah right, as if). Don't bother suing me you'd loose more then I'd ever have. I just abuse them for my own amusement and share for the pleasures of others.

Rated M: Mature Audiences only for explicit language extreme violence and adult content.

Authors Notes: This is going to have some dark stuff in it, rape, torture, drug use, foul language, BDSM, and things of an adult nature. If you're not a mature enough adult to handle that, do not read further. Oh yes, my spelling and grammar is atrocious and I do know this, complain to the California School system.

Second Authors Note: All story's I have posted I _intend_ to continue writing on if my muses behave. A couple of the stories are slower going then others. I also have several other fandoms with a few to a couple dozen stories I'm working on. So I can't guarantee you that it's all going to be updated in a timely fashion. It just depends. That said I would also like to note that getting the replies is a great boost and encouragement, it really does help the creative juices flow! So thanks to everyone who takes the time to drop a note!

Story Notes: Idea hit me when I was brewing up another AU for Fast and the Furious where Brian was a girl and Dom was the love interest. I thought it would be an interesting story to write if Brianne wasn't a cop. So here it goes, lets see where it leads me. I hope you enjoy.

The Fast and The Furious AU Ties That Bind

Chapter One, Bad Beginnings

Los Angelus is a smoggy dirty crowded city that was generally too hot for it's own good. Such heat made for quick tempers, short words and scantly clad flesh not always the best of mixes. Most of the affordable eateries didn't have very editable food and even less pleasant staff working the establishments. Brianne Erin Spilner didn't have the culinary skills time or energy to do her cooking for herself. So when it came time for lunch she was always on the look out for a new place to try.

Torreto's Café hadn't looked like much from the outside, other then old. The establishment looked like it had been there for decades. With that kind of staying power she knew there had to be more then met the eye on the outside. Then she'd gone in and she'd met Mia, the two of them hitting off and becoming fast friends.

Neither talked much about them self's Bri knew that Mia lived with her brother and ran the Café and a Garage with him. She'd never met Dominic though she'd caught glimpses of him, usually the back of his head. He had a tendency to sit in the back office with his back to the café not really showing much interest in meeting his kid sister's new friend. She was rather curious about him though more curious the longer she went to the Café for lunch.

Her shift at Harry's was later so when the store opened she'd gotten up and gone to practice her driving. She had her music blasting as she sped down the empty road speedometer quickly rising. Her smile widened adrenalin pumping as she pushed herself and the car harder and faster. Until the car suddenly topped out on her, spinning out and narrowly missing the guardrail and the steep drop down the side of the cliff. Cursing and pounding the wheel she sighed in disgust at herself before noticing the time and driving away.

After stopping at Harry's and getting her car set up for NOS she put in a few hours before heading out in her work truck towards the Café for lunch. She took one of her car magazines with her after parking the car making her way towards the Café across the street. Mia glanced her way as she walked in the two of them sharing a smile before she sat down. She slapped her magazine down on the counter and flipped it open Mia leaning over something that looked like a textbook.

"Tuna on white, no crust. Right?" Mia asked making Bri smirk at the routine.

"I don't know. How is it?" She asked her noting Dominic sitting in the office his back to her.

"Every day for the last three weeks you've been comin' in here and askin' how the _tuna_ is. Now, it was crappy yesterday, it was crappy the day before. And guess what? It hasn't changed." Mia told her sarcastically.

"I'll have the tuna." She told her with a smirk looking down at her magazine.

"No crust?" Mia asked her.

"No crust." She reiterated.

She glanced up back into the office when Dominic rose walked to one of the coolers full of sodas in the back. He opened it pulling out a can and turning glancing back her way and taking her in as he opened and walked back to the office. It took all she had not to obviously undress his muscular form surprised as guys like that usually turned her off. Something about him though, he just looked too damn good. _He just looks so damn eatable_, she thought to herself, _I want to like nibble and bit every inch of him_.

Mia walked over with her sandwich sliding it in front of her making her tare her eyes from Dominic.

"Thanks." She told Mia picking up one of the diagonally sliced half's and taking a bite. She flipped threw a couple of pages in the magazine past adds she had no interest in. Then she heard the engines obviously powerful by the sound and she turned in her seat to watch the four cars pulling in. She turned back to her meal as they got out and began talking over one of the guy's engines.

"Water?" Mia asked her.

"Please." She replied taking a long drink when Mia brought it over.

"Thirsty?" Mia asked her with a laugh and Bri shrugged in response. "Hey guy's." Mia said to the racer who'd just pulled up as they came inside.

"How you doing Mia?" The scrawny tall one she believed was called Leo? No, Leon, that was his name.

"Hey Mia, you look nice." The scruffy looking one Vince told Mia.

"Hey how you living, girl?" Asked the only girl Letty as she slid onto a stool a couple away from her sliding a used coffee mug her way.

She could feel the girl's dark brown eyes boring into her and she turned to stare right back not at all intimidated. Hey the girl was smaller then her and while that didn't mean she didn't know how to fight, Bri knew she could handle herself.

"Letty." Mia called to the girl Bri looking at the girl behind the counter. "Letty!" She cried louder finally getting the girl to look at her.

"What?" Letty asked her innocently.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked her Bri watching Letty shake her head beside her.

"Well, thanks a lot, Mia. See you tomorrow." She told Mia standing and paying for her meal.

"Sure." Mia replied as she turned and left.

"Yo! Try Fatburger from now on. You can get yourself a Double Cheese with fires for 2.95, ho." Letty called following her outside.

"I like the tuna here." She shot back as she walked to her truck.

"Bullshit cunt! No one likes the tuna here." Letty replied still ridding on her ass.

"Yeah, well. I do." She replied a moment before the girl pushed her from behind.

She almost smacked face first into the side of the truck catching herself at the last moment. She spun around connecting with the girls cheek using a sweet left hook Letty coming back around to ram her into the truck with a well placed shoulder to her gut. She pushed them away from the truck trying to turn the tables as Letty continued to try and ram her. She was rammed back into the truck again eventually before she brought her knee up into Letty's stomach and elbowed her in the back.

They wrestled each other onto the ground Letty nailing her good twice in a row with a right hook. She rolled them getting back to her feet only to get rammed by Letty into one of the other cars. She got Letty on the ground and was about to nail her with a right hook when someone hauled her up from behind. She was tossed back onto one of the cars more then a little surprised to see Dominic standing there.

"Hey, man, she was in my face." She defended herself hands held up impassively.

"_I'm_ in your face." Dom told her moving into her personal space.

Letty choice that moment to try and strike her again from behind Dom's back. Dom held her back though pushing her away towards the others behind her. "Relax! Don't push it! You embarrass me!" Dom yelled point a finger at her in warning.

The big scruffy looking guy with the tattoo's called Vince was holding Letty at bay trying to pull her away. "Jesse, give me her wallet." Dom told the younger looking kid. That was when she noticed that her billfold had fallen from her back pocket during the fight. The kid picked it up off the asphalt and handed it over to Dom who opened it up to look at her license. "Brianne Erin Spilner. Sounds like a serial killer name. Is that what you are?" Dom asked her.

"Nah, man." She denied thought she agreed about how her name sounded.

"Don't come around here again!" Dom warned pointing a finger at her and thrusting her wallet at her with his other hand.

Anger surged through her at the words he was going to kick her out? She hadn't even started the damn thing she thought to herself crossly, _the bitch had even attacked me from behind_! She'd only defended herself she'd had it with playing the punching bag in her life. What the hell did she ever do to him and his?

"Hey, man, you know this is bullshit." She told him heatedly before she could stop herself.

Dom stopped pointing at her with a fisted hand as he did, anger clear on his face.

"You work for Harry, right?" He asked pointing to the truck as he walked back over to her.

"Yeah. I just started." She replied, not sure she liked where this was going.

"You were just fired." Dom told her sternly before turning and leaving. Brianne felt like she had just been punched in the gut Letty looking pleased at the news. Bri got in the car and sped away back towards Harry's praying what Dom said wasn't true. Harry was the only decent paying respectable work she'd be able to get without any past work experience. Shit things were so tight for her right now that the only luxury she had was her car, she was even bunking in the store to save on cash.

She pulled to a stop outside Racers Edge nearly dinging the front fender as she did. She stormed out of the truck and into the store keenly aware of the sounds of Harry on the phone talking to Dom. She heard Dom's name mentioned and felt her heart sink at the apologetic look Harry shot her. After hanging up she met up with him in the room she was using and knew with one look she was gone.

"Bri, I'm really sorry. I really hate doin' this. Dom could ruin my business if he wanted. When Dominic drives he's golden. Kids pour in here, they want everythin' he has, every performance part, _and they pay cash_!" Harry told her sternly.

"I know Harry. I understand. I didn't intend to mess with your business, you know that." She told him apologetically and she sighed.

"Look, I know you got no one, and no where else to go. I can't let you stay here 'cause Dom might find out. But you can bunk at my place in the guestroom for a while until you can find somethin' and get on your feet." Harry assured her.

"No, Harry. It's fine. You've done plenty for me. You trusted me and gave me work when I had no references or work history. I've still got some of my savings I'll get a cheep room and take whatever work I can. I'll be fine Harry, I'm good at takin' care of myself, been doin' it most my life." She assured the man who sighed still looking extremely guilty. "Look Harry about the NOZ system you put in my car today. You know I'm still good for it but I'd understand if you want it back."

"No, I trust you Bri. You told me you'd pay me back in installments with each paycheck. It'll take a bit longer now that your not working for me but don't worry. I won't charge you interest." He teased her and she forced a smile.

He left her to it packing up her stuff into her army duffle and two other bags of stuff. She pawned everything she could bare to part with worth a dime able to come up with a little over one g. It wouldn't last her long though even though the room she found was cheap as dirt she had food necessities and gas to worry about too. Sitting there counting her money she made up her mind to go to the street races tonight to try her hand.

If she won she'd have enough cash to last her a bit so she got ready stopping at a bar across the street from her room. It had a help wanted sign up and she was pleased to get hired on a temp basis. She had to show up tomorrow morning to help with clean up and prepping to open up as well as wait on tables during the lunch crowd. She felt a little better about things as she headed towards the races thinking about what she was about to do.

She didn't have the money to buy into the race the only thing she had remotely worth it, was her pink slip to her car. She hated to do it, but she wouldn't have the money to even fuel it let alone take care of up keep for a while. If the worst happened and she lost well her job was within walking distance and she'd be able to stretch her money a little longer not having to pay for gas. Still she hoped she won and not just for the money but to see the look on Dom's face.

The place was packed as she parked her car looking at all the other racers and their ho's hanging on them. The different 'clicks' reminded her very much of high school as she stepped out of her car looking around. She was half listening to some of the other racers when she saw a Hispanic take her and her car in. She listened to what he said to his friends inconspicuously wondering what he had to say.

"Hey, hold up, hold up. Look at this Snow White right here, man." He said as he moved her way. "Sweet ride. What you running under there, chica?" He asked her and she gave him a smirk hands stuffed into her front jean pockets. "You gonna make me find out the hard way?" The guy asked her.

"Hell, yeah." She told him with a cocky smirk.

"You brave. You brave, chica. They call me Hector. I got a last name too, but I can't pronounce it, so--" He told her with a shrug.

"Brianne Spilner." She replied offering her hand.

"Ah, typical white girl name. Know what I'm saying?" Hector told her shaking her hand, making her laugh.

"You see that over there?" He asked her point out his ride a sweet piece with the hood off so you could see just how hot he was packing. "That's mine. It's my baby. But I ain't cuttin' her loose tonight." Hector told her leaning against the side of her car.

"Why not?" She asked him.

"Nah, its 'cause I'm going legit, chica. Trying to get on the NIRA circuit. You heard about that?" Hector asked her.

"Oh, hell, yeah." She told him nodding.

"So what. What's up with you, chica?" Hector asked her.

"I'm just waiting for Torreto." She told him.

"Shit. Better get in line." Said an African American guy walking up to them a blue bandana tied around his forehead. "This yours?" He asked motioning to the car.

"Yeah. I'm standing next to it." She replied sarcastically.

"That's funny. You know, Edwin happens to know a few things. And one of the things Edwin knows is, it's not how you stand by your car. It's how you race your car. You better learn that." He warned her, and she nodded inwardly, not bad advice. That was when they heard the motors, five cars making an entrance. "Oh, shit. Here they come. It's on." Edwin said clapping his hands together once excitedly.

They parked Dom and his crew getting out girls flinging themselves at Dom. He seemed to tolerate them out of amusement really being playful and flirtatious but not serious with them. She stayed close to Hector and Edwin as they moved in but made sure to stay out of sight until she had her opening. She watched as Dom called to Hector, greeting him and Edwin sincerely.

"Once race. Two-G buy-in. Winner takes all." Dom instructed them. "Hector, you're going to hold the cash."

"Why Hector?" One of the male Asian drivers racing asked, handing his money over.

"'Cause he's too slow to make away with the money, man." Edwin relied handing his own money over. He got a chuckle and a glare from Hector people in the crowd 'Oohing' his statement.

"Okay good luck guy's." Dom told them getting ready to take off.

"Hey, wait. Hold up." She called out, figuring it was now or never for her. "I don't have any cash, but I do have the pink slip to my car." She told them stepping up and pulling it from her pocket.

"Hey, you can't just climb in the ring with Ali 'cause you think you box." Jesse said to her.

"She knows I can box." She told him pointing over to Letty sitting on her car. "So check it out, it's like this. I lose, the winner takes my car, clean and clear. But if I win, I take the cash, and I take the respect." She told them.

People laughed mocking her declaration of 'taking the respect' obviously not thinking much of it. She was all about respect she just also happen to need the money badly right now. It was this or something much more illegal and she was trying not to fall back into that trap. "To some people, that's more important." She told them. She was pleased that the only one who didn't seem to be laughing about the idea was Dom.

"That your car?" He asked her motioning to it.

They moved over to it Jesse popping the hood and taking inventory while others in the crowed 'Ahed' and 'Oohed' at it.

"I see a cool-air intake. It's got a NOS-fogger system and a T-four turbo, Dominic. I see an A.I.C. controller. It has direct port nitrous injection." Jesse told him.

"Yeah, and a stand-alone fuel management system. Not a bad way to spend $10,000." Dominic approved. Yeah it was a lot of money, little less then half of which was still unpaid for to Harry but she tried not to think about that.

"You see that shit?" Edwin asked Dom after getting a closer look under her hood. "She's got enough NOS in there to blow herself up, period."

"Yeah." Dom replied glancing over at her.

"So, what do you say? Am I worthy?" She asked Dom.

"We don't know yet. But you're in." Dom told her. "Let's go."

They all pulled out taking off to the location for tonight's race butterflies swarming in her stomach. The drive took longer then she liked she was eager to race and see how she did. Normally she wouldn't be so nervous but she had a lot ridding on tonight's race. They lined up Bri stopping a little too short of the start line she was so nervous.

She prepped her NOS and it's system before staring back out at the street in front of her. She was craving a cigarette, _damn it I thought I'd kicked that habit_, she thought to herself sourly. She started psyching herself up for the win, trying to visualize it. Then it was on Bri pulling out a little behind all the other racers as the race started.

She passed up Edwin and the Asian guy with her first hit of NOS when her program started to warn her of danger to her manifold. She couldn't afford to loose or listen and hit her last shot of NOS passing Dom up. She was nearly to the finish line when Dom's car shot over it ahead of hers. She couldn't believe she had lost, she couldn't believe she had almost won!

She pulled up shortly after the others stepping out unable to wipe the smile off her face even though she lost.

"Was that fun?" Jesse asked her scoldingly running up to pop the hood. Smoke billowed out the crowd 'oohing' the condition of her engine when it did.

"What are you smiling about?" Dom asked her incredulously.

"Dude, I almost had you." She said pointing over at him.

"_You_ almost had _me_?" He repeated mockingly pointing over at her and then himself. "You never had me. You never had your car!" Dom told her the crowd 'Oohing' around them. "Granny shifting, not double clutchin' like you should." Dom told her walking around her and circling the car. "You're lucky that hundred-shot of NOS didn't blow the welds on the intake. Almost had _me_?" He questioned a guy in the crowd mockingly, pointing at his own chest.

"Now me and the mad scientist gotta rip apart the block and replace the piston rings you fried. Ask any racer, and real racer. It don't matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winnings winning." Dom told her the crowd cheering around him.

That was when the cry went out, cops were on their way everyone scrambling for their cars. She wasn't too worried as she slid into her car and started it again pulling away. She may not be the greatest racer but she knew she had some mad skills when it came to evading the law. None of the units seemed to be following her though so when she saw Dom getting tailed she followed instinctively. Hopefully she'd get a chance to help him out maybe get in his good graces and keep her car.

She lost him until she spotted him on foot on the street trying to out run the cops. She went for it slipping past the cops and coming to a stop in front of him in an alleyway.

"Get in!" She told him. He slid in and she sped away Dom clutching the 'oh shit handle' in the seat beside her. She turned them down a street towards two oncoming cop cars Dom holding a hand out in front of him protectively.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Dom exclaimed from next to her.

She grinned to herself the cars flipping to try and block her way as she moved to slip past them. "Whoa!" Dom exclaimed again, he obviously didn't like having other people drive. She skimmed past the cars leaving both of them in the dust blocking the other perusing vehicles. "You're the last person in the world I expected to show up." Dom told her when she slowed sure they finally lost them.

"Yeah, well, I thought if I got in your good graces, you might let me keep my car." She replied glancing over at him.

"You are in my good graces, but you ain't keepin' your car." Dom told her glancing over at her. "You drive like you've done this before. What're you a wheel man?"

"That would be a wheel woman, and no." She told him.

"You boost cars?" Dom asked.

"No. Never." She lied easily.

"Ever done time?" Dom asked her.

"Couple of overnighters. No big deal." She replied lying threw her teeth again.

"What about the two years in juvie for boostin' cars?" Dom asked her.

She glanced over at him in surprise before looking back at the road hands tightening unconsciously on the steering wheel. "Hah. Tucson, right? Yeah, I had Jesse run a profile on you, Brianne Erin Spilner. He'll find anything on the Web, anything about anybody. So why bullshit?" Dom asked her, she thought she could ask him the same thing. Why bullshit and ask her about it if he already knew?

"So what about you?" She asked him.

"Two years in Lompoc. I'll die before I go back." He replied gravely.

Okay, misinterpret the question much? He did hard time, with the big boys and he was giving her grief over her time in juvie? Okay, no, maybe he was more giving her grief about being upfront about it, _that's it actually use your brain girl_, she thought to herself mockingly. You'd think he'd understand though, it's not the type of thing one wants to advertise about. She wondered just how much of her past history Jesse dug up on her for Dom.

"Oh, great." Dom exclaimed after looking out the back window.

"What?" She asked him before shoe noticed the bikes surrounding them from behind.

"It's gonna be a long-ass night, that's what." Dom exclaimed.

tbc

12


	2. Revealing Revelations

Summery: How will the run in with Johnny Tran be different with Bri? How will Mia react when she finds out how much Dom making Harry fire her screwed with her life? More importantly, how will Dom react? As a bonus I've added a deleted scene from the DVD.

Fast and The Furious AU Ties That Bind Chapter Two Revealing Revelations

She counted a half a dozen or more bikes surrounding her car from behind. They were ridding aggressively and from Dom's reaction at the first sight of them she didn't think this was going to be a friendly altercation. _Hell of a god damned night_, she thought to herself crossly, _I'm not sure it could get any fuller and here you go what do you know…**it does**_. She really didn't like it when one of the Asian bikers rode up beside her and tapped her door with a semi-automatic.

"Follow us." He told her. They were led into a parking lot with big ornate Chine's architecture and statues. There looked to be about a little over half a dozen bikers some of them carrying two riders. She and Dom got out of the car as they all dismounted and pulled off their helmets.

"I thought we had an agreement. You stay away. I stay away. Everybody stays happy." Said the man who was apparently the leader while he checked out her car.

"We got lost Johnny. What do you want me to tell you?" Dom asked him.

"Who's 'we'?" Johnny asked him.

"Uh, my new mechanic. Brianne, meet Johnny Tran. That guy in the snake skin pants, that's his cousin, Lance." Dom said, Brianne finding her new 'job' to be very interesting. "So when are you going to give me a shot at that Honda 2000 of yours?" Dom asked him.

"This your ride, beautiful?" Johnny asked walking towards her and ignoring Dom's question.

"It was. It's his now." Brianne said, almost telling him it was till she remembered the events of earlier.

"No, it's not. I haven't taken delivery." Dom replied.

_Okay I am seriously lost_, she thought to herself, _what the fuck_? Why wouldn't he lay claim on the car that _was_ his but he would lay claim on _her_…who **wasn't**? She wondered if this was making sense to anyone here because it sure wasn't to her

"Then it's nobody's car." Johnny stated Bri feeling suddenly very uneasy about her car being 'unclaimed'.

Still she followed Dom's lead and didn't claim it herself. "Somebody put in the wrench time." Johnny commented. _Yeah, you bet asshole_, she thought to herself angrily, _me_! Hell the only time someone else worked on it was when Harry installed the NOZ system for her, and had that really only been today? "What do you think Lance?"

"It's an amazing machine. Amazing woman." Lance replied a creepy look on his face as he stepped toward her gun still leveled at them.

She didn't back down matching his gaze and holding her ground despite the urges to both back the fuck up and/or kick his ass.

"Yes, indeed. _They_ are." Johnny agreed. Okay yeah she was starting to understand why she had been claimed instead of the car. There eyes had been undressing her the whole time something she usually started fights for, guns were a good detourant though. Now they were practically fucking her with their eyes and she was beginning to feel very dirty.

"Lets go." Johnny finally said patting Dom on the arm.

She stared down Lance who acted like he was going to approach her before turning and mounting his bike. The others followed suit Johnny talking to Dom while he got ready to leave. "I'll see you in the desert next month. Be ready to have your ass handed to you." He warned Dom.

"Yeah, you're gonna need more then that crotch rocket." Dom teased him mockingly.

"I got something for you." Johnny told him before putting his helmet on. She and Dom stood by her car and watched as they mounted up and drove away Bri looking over at Dom.

"What the hell was that all about?" She asked him.

"Long story. I'll tell you later. Lets get outta here." Dom told her, opening the passenger side door and getting in.

She moved to follow suit when they heard two bikes returning Johnny and his cousin returning. They came to a stop in front of her car lifting their guns and starting to shoot it full of holes. She and Dom backed off quickly trying not to get rained on by the bullets or glass. Rage filled her as she listened to them shooting up every inch of the car before driving away.

She looked over at her car now full of holes and on fire now, unbelieving of her luck.

"NOS!" Dom screamed in warning. They both went running right before it blue Bri hitting the pavement hard when it went up. It was completely totaled entirely junk now just useless scraps of metal. Bri decided that this was definitely one of the top ten worst days of her life, also one of the top ten of the longest days of her life.

"So, what the hell was that all about?" She asked Dom again as they began to walk away.

"It's a long story." Dom repeated.

"Well, we got a twenty-mile hike. Humor me." She told him.

"A business deal that went sour." Dom replied. "Plus I made the mistake of sleeping with his sister." _Of course you did_, she thought to herself, _what is it with men_?

"You call that a long story?" She asked him jokingly.

"Well it was shorter then I thought." Dom replied.

"Yeah." She replied, not knowing what else to say.

"So, what brings you to Los Angeles Miss Arizona?" Dom asked her playfully.

"Miss Arizona? Lovely. I came for a fresh start. Seemed as good a place as any, what with the line I had for some legit work." She replied, rolling her eyes at herself, _look how that panned out_, she thought sourly.

_Oh, yeah, that's right, bring up the job you lost thanks to him_, she thought to herself mockingly. _Just great tactics, bringing up the one thing you don't want to talk about_, she thought to herself harshly, _stupid fucking worthless bitch_! "What about you? Lived here all your life?" She asked him, hoping he ignored or didn't notice the job comment.

"More or less, accept for those two years." He told her not needing to mention what two years.

"I can't believe you even gave me a hard time about the juvie thing when you did hard time." She told him, for want of anything else to talk about. _Better to talk about the uncomfortable stuff then have the long uncomfortable silences_, she thought to herself.

"I wasn't givin' you a hard time over the juvie thing. I was givin' you a hard time for not coming clean about it." Dom replied with a glance.

"It's not exactly the type of thing I like to advertise. You should understand that. You get one of two people, those who think you're a useless waist of space because of it or those that think you'll be down for _anything_ illegal because of it." She told him.

"Yeah, I know. I've had my fill of both." Dom replied.

Not too much longer Dom spotted a cab he hailed down and directed towards his place. After getting out and paying she wished Dom goodnight and prepared to walk to her motel.

"Yo, Spilner." Dom called out to her from the porch. "You want a beer?"

"Yeah, sure." She replied. She turned and began to make her way towards the house as Dom stepped inside.

She felt like she was walking into the loins den as she let herself inside, knowing Letty was probably back in there somewhere. Dom was saying something to Letty as she stepped inside, two beers in his hands. She watched a couple walk by her and out the door before she turned and was noticed by the others.

"Yo, Dom! Why'd you bring the buster here?" Letty called out hostilely.

"'Cause the buster kept me outta handcuffs!" Dom yelled rounding on her angrily. "She didn't just run back to the fort. The buster brought _me_ back."

Dom turned and walked over to her beers in hand most of the party watching what was going down. Apparently his temper was pretty common, as no one seemed too shocked about his actions. It was just like they were taking in the afternoon show or something.

"You can have any brew you want--as long as it's Corona." Dom told her offering her the two beers in his hands she took the one closest to her.

"Thanks, man." She told him.

"That's Letty's so enjoy." Dom told her. She wiped off the bottle top with her shirt while staring said girl down before taking a drink.

"Hey, Dom. Can I use your bathroom?" She asked him.

"Yeah, upstairs. First door on the right." Dom told her.

Bri headed upstairs downing half the beer as she closed the bathroom door behind herself. She put the beer on the counter and splashed some cold water on her face. She was trying to remember why she was in a house full of mostly strangers and a girl who wanted to chew her face off. After using the restroom and washing up she stepped out heading downstairs just as Dom was heading up.

"Yo." Dom called stopping her after they passed each other. "You know you owe me a ten second car right?" He asked her with a cocky smirk before heading up stairs.

As soon as she turned she was faced with Letty Vince Leon and Jesse none of whom looked too happy to see her.

"Did you wipe the seat?" Letty asked her. Something on the coffee table caught her eye and she glanced over to see a handgun. She was suddenly very ready to leave no beer was worth getting shot over.

"Oh, Jesus Christ." Mia cried coming out of nowhere to save her. "Would you cut this shit already? Come on!" She cried pushing Letty and Vince away from her. "Come on, let's go get me a drink." Mia told her taking her hand and leading her towards the kitchen.

There were only a few people in the dinning room so after Mia grabbed herself a Snapple they chilled there to talk. "You know my brother likes you. He usually doesn't like anybody." Mia told her.

"Yeah right. Likes me, please. I just had one of the longest shittiest days of my life and it was all _mostly_ courtesy of Dominic." She told Mia.

"He's got a funny way of showing it." Mia told her.

"Yeah, he's a complicated guy." She told her.

"What about you?" Mia asked her.

"I'm simpler." She told her cheekily.

"You're a shitty liar." Mia told her with a chuckle. "But there is a problem." Mia informed her.

"What's that?" She asked after draining her beer.

"You need to get some sleep. And you definitely, definitely need a shower." Mia told her and Bri laughed.

"Like I said it's been a long shitty day, and I didn't sleep well the last few nights." She explained.

"Come on, I'll take you home." Mia told her.

The words sounded wrong to Bri but she supposed that was only because she didn't really have a 'home'. Least ways not in the manner Mia meant it when she said the words. She followed behind her as she led them outside climbing into her car tiredly. Mostly she was trying to force herself to stay away on the ride home while she directed her towards the motel. "You only had that one beer right?" Mia asked her after parking the car.

"What? Yeah, why?" She asked in confusion looking over at her friend.

"Bri, this is a motel. You can't really have been stayin' in a motel for the past three weeks?" Mia asked her in obvious shock and distaste.

"Nah, had a little pad in Harry's. Convenient as hell. On the up side it's cheep." She offered moving to open her door.

"No way. I couldn't call myself a friend and let you stay here. You're comin' home with me." Mia said moving to start the car.

"What? No, I don't think so. Sides I've paid it up to the week. Not to mention I'd be a long ass walk from your place to my new job. If I get it and keep it." She told her opening the door.

"This is all cause of Dom isn't it? Cause he had Harry fire you?" Mia asked her.

"More or less. Harry knew of me from a friend who vouched for me so I could get the job. Otherwise I have no résumé or work experience. So I can only get crap jobs like this one at the Bar and Grill, down the street. If I had a résumé or work experience it wouldn't have been such a big deal." She explained.

"I'm tellin' Dom about this. I'm goin' to chew his ear off for gettin' you fired like that! Big bully!" Mia complained.

"No! No, really, don't. I've had enough of Dom's temper. Just leave it Mia, please. I got to go, hopefully I can get a few hours of sleep before I have to work." She told the girl before getting out of the car.

"Fine, but I am at least gettin' him to let you back in the Café. He can't bar my friends." Mia insisted racing off before she could argue.

"Damn stubborn girl. Must run in the family." She commented before heading in the room.

Sleep turned out not to be her friend that night, unable to fall asleep after lying for a few hours. She got the job happily though the pay was low the hours shit and her boss acted like a slave driver. After picking up 'dinner' from a near by sandwich place she went to her room ate and gave Harry a call. It took a little bit of talking but he promised he would have a 'ten second car' for her that would need some work. This one he said was a gift since the job he promised her fell threw, she almost said no but common sense won over.

After eating she slept hard got up and took a long hot shower before hitting a near by diner. Food sucked but was cheep and Harry picked her up there and took her too her car. She drove the truck he got to haul it for her over to the garage, walking around after she backed it in.

"What do you got here?" Dom asked leaning on an arm against the wall.

"This is your car." She told him motioning to the red wreck hauled on the truck.

"My car?" Dom replied sarcastically pointing to his chest with the Red Bull in his hand. "I said a ten-second car not a ten-minute car."

"You could push this across the finish line, or tow it." Jesse told them making Mia Dom and her laugh.

"Couldn't even tow that across the finish line." Dom stated.

"No faith." Bri stated.

"Oh, I have faith in you, but this isn't a junkyard. _This is a garage._" Dom told her.

"Hey, pop the hood." She told Jesse finally having had enough.

"Pop the hood?" Dom questioned.

"Pop the hood." She reiterated. _He actually thinks I would bring him a crap car_, she thought to herself incredulously, _my how little they think of me._

Once the car was finally down Dom and Jesse had to pry the hood up with crowbars.

"Two J.Z. engine. No shit." Jesse exclaimed in shock.

"And what did I tell you?" She said to Dom.

"I retract my previous statement." Dom told her apologetically.

"You know what? This will decimate all _after_ you put about 15 grand in it. Or more, if we have to overnight the parts from Japan." Jesse told them.

"We'll pit it on my tab at Harry's." Dom told Jesse getting an emphatic 'yes!' from him. "I got to get you racing again so I can make some money off your ass." Dom told her pointing at her with the crowbar. "There's this show down in the desert called Race Wars and that's where you'll do it." He told her walking around behind her as she moved forward to eye the car smile on her face. She couldn't believe after all this, the car was going to be hers and he wanted _her_ racing it for him. "I'll tell you what. When you're not workin' at your new job, you're working here. If you can't find the right tool in this garage, Miss Arizona, you don't belong near a car." Dom told her with a smirk before turning and walking away.

"He owns you now." Mia told her and she frowned at the girl when she realized something else.

"You told him, I asked you not to say anythin' but you did it anyways." She told her in an angry voice.

"Bri." Mia started hesitantly.

Brianne was already moving her back turned towards Mia as she moved looking for Dom outside.

"Yo! Dom!" She called running out after him.

"Yeah?" He asked her when she came to a stop before him.

"Why do you want me to work here?" She asked him hands on her hips. "No bullshit!"

"I got Mia to tell me the real reason she was so upset with me the other night after droppin' you off. So I gave Harry a call he said you're a good mechanic."

"If you want me for my skills as a mechanic I'll take the job. But if your only doin' this out of some misguided sense of guilt or of charity then forget it. Hell I'd rather you gave it too me because you didn't want it gettin' back to Tran the I never really was your mechanic." She told him sternly.

"What if it's all three?" He told her and she glared up at him before sighing.

"Then I guess I'll just have to live with it." She told him.

"So, if I offered to talk to Harry? Withdraw my ultimatum with him?" Dom asked her.

"I'd tell you to take the offer and shove it, right along with that big ego of yours, _Boss_." She told him in a mockingly cheerful voice making him laugh.

"So are we okay?" Mia asked her later as she climbed back in the truck.

"Yeah, I'll just remember next time not to tell you anythin' I don't want your brother to know." She told her coolly before pulling the truck away.

She took her anger out on Harry telling him off for not telling her that Dom had called about her. She apologized for it before she left but Harry understood he knew about her temper. She had been up front with Harry from the beginning about everything in her past.

"Screw it, I want you to come back." Harry told her right before she left.

"What?" She asked stilling and slowly turning back to glance at him.

"Dom can go screw himself. You're too good a mechanic to let go and you're the daughter of a good old friend. I won't leave you out to the wolves like that." Harry told her sincerely.

"Have you been talkin' to Dom before I got here Harry?" She asked him suspiciously.

"No, honest." Harry told her.

"Alright. That would be the only reason I would say no." She told him.

"Scouts honor." He told her saluting her.

"I'll have to see if I can get a return on my money for the room." She said more to herself then him.

"Go on and take the truck. Sooner you do it the better." Harry told her.

Which is how she ended up having use of the truck the next day when they hauled her parts from Harry's to Dom's garage. It was interesting driving the truck with the rest of the gang driving around her truck Dom's car up front. Sometime later she Dom Leon and Jesse were eating lunch outside on the car they had all been working on. They had sandwiches and beers all of them too hungry and dirty to bother cleaning off first before they ate.

The guys were all topless Bri trying not to stare at Dom who was sitting far too close to her. He was rather tempting all sweaty and half naked next to her Jesse sitting on the back behind them while Leon sat on the ground leaning up on the side. She was in jeans and despite her reservations about going around in her skimpy gray tank showing off her scars she'd stripped down to it earlier. The only one she knew noticed the scars was Dom ever the observant but thankfully he didn't say anything.

They were all just sitting around shooting the breeze and bullshitting about nothing important. Then Dom brought up the subject of first time drivers and when they all had driven for the first time.

"I was like five years old. I was sittin' on my fathers lap. And he's got me propped up and both my hands are on the steering wheel. And he kept goin' faster and faster. I remember hearin' him laughing, the faster we went the happier he was." Dom told them.

"How old were you again?" Jesse asked him.

"Five." Dom boasted proudly.

"My moms taught me how to drive." Leon shared with them.

"Your moms?" Dom stated sounding surprised.

"Yeah man. That was right before she left though." Leon explained, which explained why Dom was surprised. "You know, hate her for that but I can't hate her completely. You know?"

"First time I drove. It was on my learners permit. We were on the 40 Freeway, my mother and I. Car in front of me locks up its breaks." She said imitating the sound. "Then boom! Someone blew into me from behind. Five car pill up, first time I drove." She bragged.

"Before my dad went away. He bought me this uh, '71 Malibu classic the first day I got my license it was the greatest day. It was also the first day that I had sex." Jesse bragged, beating them all hands down right there. She laughed with the guys at that one Leon sounding very impressed. "I shit you not." Jesse assured them.

"Somethin' about learning how to drive. Like-it's you're a driver or you're not a driver. So up until the point you start driving is one lifetime and then after you start driving is another lifetime." Dom explained Bri nodding in understanding.

11


	3. Furious Fast

Summery: The BBQ and flirting Dom topped off with a date. How will Bri take Vince's suspicions about her being a cop and his and Dom's threats? Johnny Tran gets lube happy and Bri finally talks about her past.

Fast and The Furious AU Ties That Bind

Chapter Three Furious Fast

After everything she seemed to fit in rather well with Dom, Mia, Leon, and Jesse but Vince and Letty spent as little time around her as possible. She knew why Letty didn't like her she had a thing for Dom and saw her as a threat, competition. Vince she didn't get at all, she'd never done anything to him but he kept giving her dirty looks. She wondered at first if he like Letty and hated Bri for her but she was quick to spot his thing for Mia.

"Tell me what you think about this." Jessie asked her cigarette in hand while they sat in the office in the garage loading the computer with a disk. "Koni adjustables. Gonna save us about two pounds. And they're gonna give us better traction for the hole shot. All right. This is your basic layout of the car, and that's _pretty_ much what it could look like when it's finished. Red, green." Jesse explained to her as the images came up on the screen.

"Man, you should be goin' to M.I.T. or somethin'." She told him in awe.

"Yeah, right." He laughed mockingly. "No, I got that--Oh what's it called? That attention disorder…" Jesse said trying to think up the name.

"Oh, A.D.D.?" She asked him.

"**Yes**, that _shit_. Yeah. You know, I was good in algebra…and like math and shit. Everything else I failed. Dropped out of school. I don't know. It's just somethin' about engines…that-that calms me down, you know?" Jesse explained to her.

"Like that Ritalin shit they gave to some of the kids. I knew a few who had to take it. Messed up. Made them like zombie's half the time." She told him with a nod.

She was just heading out to her truck to go find some grub for dinner before bed when Dom followed her outside the garage. She turned in surprise when she heard him watching him walked over to her.

"You got any plans tonight?" Dom asked her.

"Uh, not really." She told him.

"Follow me to the house. Your goin' to have some of my BBQ maybe we can actually get some meat on those bones." Dom told her teasingly.

"Planning to fatten me up for your BBQ?" She teased.

"Nah, you'd only be wasted on the BBQ." Dom replied flirtatiously.

"Right." She replied sarcastically turning towards the car. Dom reached out quickly grabbing her bicep in an iron grip making her flinch in surprise.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly pulling his hand back.

"You startled me. Was there something else?" She asked him.

"Yeah…are you comin'?" He asked her and she laughed shaking her head. _Oh I'm cuming every time I'm near you_, she thought to herself wickedly, _mind out of gutter girl_.

"Would you take no for an answer?" She asked him.

"Nope." He replied with a cocky grin.

"Alright then, guess I'm goin' then aren't I?" She stated more then asked.

Bri slid behind the wheel buckled up and sat for a moment staring out the window. "Did Dom just flirt with me? He couldn't have actually been hittin' on me, could he? Nah, just imagining things." She said aloud to herself. Not too much longer found her outside the house with Dom by the BBQ beer in hand. Vince, Leon and Letty still hadn't arrived from the store and she wasn't too eager for the coming scene. So she watched a little tensely as they pulled up and climbed out of their cars.

"I'm outta here." Letty said handing over her bags when she saw her.

"Come on, girl." Leon said taking her bags.

"What're you talkin' about?" Vince asked.

"Yo. Dom." Leon said calling his attention to Letty.

"Letty, get over here and give us a hand." Dom called out to her.

"Looks like you got all the help you need, Dom." Letty replied angrily getting into her car and peeling out as she sped away.

Bri felt guilty after that, not that she was made to feel unwelcome (other then Vince's dirty looks). She forced herself to at least pretend to be okay and having a good time. It surely wasn't very hard just every time she laughed she remembered why she felt so at ease. Because Letty wasn't there and it made her feel like a usurper when that wasn't her intent.

She helped Mia lugging all the side dishes she'd cooked outside to the table while Dom BBQed. It smelled great and looked better as the chicken was loaded up to the table. They were all sitting around after Jesse saying grace just about to eat when Letty showed.

"Look who it is. Lil wily rascal. I thought you weren't hungry, pumpkin?" Leon asked as Letty ambled there way.

"You know, I gotta eat." Letty replied.

"All right, sit down." Dom told her motion to the table. She walked up behind Dom kissing the top of his baldhead affectionately while Dom cast a glance her way.

She glanced away suddenly feeling uncomfortable but less guilty at least. She didn't know why she came she knew it'd cause problems, and she hated causing conflict for Dom and Mia in their family. They were good people and she didn't like to pay back their friendship in such a way. They started talking Letty having apparently picked up a movie to watch after dinner.

She hung out in the kitchen helping Mia clean up drying the stuff she washed and putting it away. She was working on the stack of plates when Mia stepped out to pick up the rest of the trash from the table. Dom stepped into the kitchen the sounds of the movie 'Enter The Dragon' in the background as she glanced back at him.

"You're a guest, you shouldn't be doin' that." Dom chided her.

"Well, you see. Where I come from the cook doesn't clean." She told him.

"Yeah I'd like to go there." Dom told her. "Why aren't you there still?" He asked walking over to stand next to her and wash some more of the dishes.

"Because there isn't a 'there' to go back to any more." She told him sounding sadder then she would've liked.

"No one?" He asked her.

"Nope, I'm the last. When I'm gone the family will be extinct." She said trying to make a joke that fell flat.

They sat in silence for a while Dom seeming to want to say something but not sure either what, or how to say it. She turned at the sound of footsteps to see Letty coming in picking up a bag of popcorn. She gave Bri a wicked smirk as she popped it into the microwave

and started to set it.

"Wash my car when you get done." Letty said laughing.

"What was that?" Dom asked crossly turning to face her.

"No, Dom. I'm talkin' to the ho. And wear your favorite dress cause when you're done, I'm puttin' you on the street where you belong cutie." Letty said directing the last bits at Bri. Bri gripped the counter behind her not willing to start something in Dom's home but not trusting Letty enough to turn her back on her. "This thing broken?" Letty asked when the microwave wouldn't work, banging on it. "What's wrong with this thing?"

"Let?" Dom asked stepping towards her. "Let, what was what was the name of that Cuban restaurant you wanted me to take you to?" Dom asked her. "The one with the _picadillo_ and the--" Dom asked Letty interrupted him.

"Little-little red candles and the wooden table?" Letty asked with a big grin.

"Yeah, the plantain too? Food all over the place. What was it called?" Dom asked her.

"Cha Cha Cha." Letty told him.

"Yeah, that's it." Dom replied enthusiastically.

"Yeah." Letty told him.

"Well I'll take you there." Dom said turning to face Bri. "Friday night at 10:00. Is that good for you?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, it's perfect." She replied more then a little shocked.

She watched as the meaning of his words hit Letty and her face darkened before she stormed away hitting the door on her way by. Any chance she had of reconciling with Letty was just shot out of the water, quiet out of the blue and by the most unexpected person.

"Okay that wasn't pretty. And that was a little out of the blue." She said the first more to herself the last directed at Dom beside her.

"Don't worry it'll be fine. She had to get over that adolescent crush of hers eventually." Dom assured her.

"Okay wait, did I just unwittingly become volunteered as a part of your 'breaking it to Letty the hard way' campaign?" She asked him a little crossly.

He glanced over at her and smirked at little before slowly stalking towards her. She swallowed and backed up into the sink counter digging into her back. He pinned her there hand coming up to cup her cheek tilting her head back. At first the kiss was just encouraging but as soon as she started to participate it became much more heated until they parted panting for breath Dom resting his forehead against hers.

"Whoever I'm with is goin' to have to put up with Letty and her shit one way or another." Dom told her and she sighed.

"Yeah." She replied more then a little dazed getting a chuckle from Dom.

She and Mia were alone at the Café for lunch the next day and she coaxed her friend into sitting with her since the place was slow. She wanted to tell her what happened at the BBQ since she hadn't gotten a chance to talk to her since Dom kissed her and asked her on a date. Then again she supposed Mia already knew some of it what with the scene with Letty.

"Well, _spill_." Mia told her.

"So I take it Letty told you?" She asked her.

"Letty nothin'. Saw myself. Did you really think I was gone that long picking up the back?" She asked her in disbelief.

"You, you saw?" She asked in surprise.

"Yeah. I still can't believe you got Dom to wash some dishes." Mia told her in awe.

"It uh, wasn't that hard." She told her still a little blown away.

"So, you like him?" Mia asked her. "Obviously you enjoyed that kiss." She teased.

"What did you watch the whole thing you voyeur?" She asked Mia with an embarrassed laugh.

"Nah I don't have to live vicariously anymore now that I met Brian." Mia told her.

"Oh really, who's this Brian? Do tell." She told Mia.

"He's another racer I met been runnin' with Hector. He's different though a little classier then the other racers. There is just somethin' about him." Mia explained to her.

After lunch and her 'girl talk' she went back to the shop working the counter. She wasn't there too long when Hector came in the door followed by a few other Hispanic's and one white boy with blue eyes and curly hair. Something in her gut told her this was the Brian that Mia had told her about. Hector greeted Harry before spotting her by the counter obviously surprised walking over to her alone.

"Damn what have we got here? Hired some new help huh?" Hector joked.

"Don't even think about it." She told him with a smile moving forward.

"Oh, all right. Like that. What's up, Bri? How you feeling?" Hector asked as they exchanged a light friendly hug across the counter.

"Pretty good. So what's up? What do you need?" She asked him

"What's up, chica. I'm gonna need you to hook me up. Three of everything. I made a list." He told her digging it out and handing it over. "Why don't you look that over?"

"When do you need this stuff by?" She asked him moving behind the computer.

"Tomorrow, today, now." Hector told her in a mock stern voice.

"Right." She replied sarcastically.

"Come on chica, white girls work fast don't they?" He asked jokingly. "Beto, _pasa le feria_, homes. That's right." Hector said to one of his friends who handed him a fat wad of bills.

"Hey, you said you need three of all this stuff?" Bri asked him realizing what a haul he was asking for.

"Yeah, three of everything. What do you think about that? Check this out." Hector asked waving the fat wad of bills at her.

She realized she had trouble and once she was off work, she headed towards Hectors garages. It was nothing personal, she liked Hector but she needed to know what all he had under the hood before Race Wars. She owed too many people too much and needed every advantage she could get. So falling back on old ways she slipped inconspicuously behind the building it's owner and his crew at a bar across the lot.

It was depressingly easy as always to break inside the place as she pocked around checking under the hoods. Looked like she was going to have her work cut out for her at Race Wars. Checking her watched she made her way out having a few more garages to check before the night was over. She had just climbed down the side of the building in the back when she was struck in the back of the head the force of the blow smacking her face first into the wall she had shimmied down.

She was starting to come round as she was dragged by the back of her leather jacket until she was dropped roughly. She glanced up and got even more confused at the sight of Vince with a shotgun pointed down in her direction.

"She moans like a cop." Vince stated and that was when Dom appeared from the shadows. He had an angry cold look on his face and all she could think was, _what the fuck_?

"Brianne, this is one of those times when you need to be very clear about what you say." Dom told her. "Nod if you understand me."

Understand him, about being clear? Hell she barely knew what was up from her little double blow to the head. No question about it now Vince didn't like her but she was still too much out of it to pick up on exactly why. Or what the fuck was going on.

"Nod!" Vince screamed at her when she didn't answer fast enough for him, so she did.

"Sit up." Dom told her sternly. Eyes on Vince and his gun she sat up slowly wary and very sore. "Tell me what the hell you're doing down here." He ordered her.

"What I'm doing?" She repeated, just to be clear getting pocked with the barrel of the shotgun when she didn't continue fast enough. "Dom, I owe-I owe you a ten-second car. And what this is about, this is about Race Wars." She said getting pocked roughly with the gun barrels and knocked over. "I just went in there and Hector is gonna be runnin' three Honda Civics with Spoon engines. And on top of that, he just came into Harry's today and he ordered three T-66 turbos, with NOS and a MoTeC system exhaust." She explained to him.

"So what are you saying? You're going to go around and check everybody's shit out, one garage after another?" He asked her.

"Yeah." She told him slowly coming to her feet. "Because Dom, you know…I can't lose again."

"She's a cop." Vince told Dom. "She's a cop!" He insisted heatedly.

"You a cop?" Dom asked taking a few steps towards her and she scoffed at the absurdity of the question.

"No." She told him levelly.

"Let's go for a little ride." Dom told her after giving her a small smile walking past her.

"Walk!" Vince said pushing her forward.

Before she knew it they were in the last Garage of the night Trans when they got company. Dom pulling her behind a car with him just as Tran and his crew pulled inside. A man was pulled out of one of the cars Bri having a feeling this had something to do with the missing engines from the cars. That was when she noticed Dom's handgun and Vince's not sure if she felt better with _that_ knowledge.

"Let me ask you a question Ted." Johnny said to the man held at gunpoint. "Do you see anything wrong here?"

"No." The obviously thick man stated.

Johnny grabbed him and began to bang him head first into the empty engine carriage.

"We got no engine's do we?" Johnny yelled angrily. Bri was really beginning to have seconds thoughts about the whole move to L.A. right about then. She thought the whole guns and violence galore was just a stereotyping of Los Angeles and nothing more. _So very wrong girl_, she thought to herself, _didn't I leave Arizona to get away from this shit_? "Do we?" Johnny repeated as he pushed his head in.

"No!" Ted cried either answering the question or telling him to stop she wasn't sure.

"Do we?" Johnny repeated.

"No!" Ted repeated before finally getting pulled upright.

"Couple of Nissan S.R.-twenty motors will pull a premium one week before Race Wars, huh?" Johnny asked him.

"Probably." Ted replied.

"You're a smart fence, Ted. Maybe too smart. What are you feelin' Lance? Forty weight? Fifty weight?" Johnny asked his cousin stripping off his leather jacket.

"A forty weight sounds nice." Lance answered.

A moment later Johnny had Ted pinned to the ground and the lube hose in his face, practically in his mouth. Lance pumped it while Johnny made sure the man was practically drowning in the stuff.

"Where are they Ted? Where are they?" Johnny asked him.

"Enough!" Ted gasped.

"Where are they?" Johnny repeated.

"There in a warehouse. There in a warehouse, man!" Ted cried from his prone position as best he could hose in mouth and all. Johnny finally let him up looking disgusted as he tried to clean himself up with a rag.

"Ted. Kiss my shoes?" Johnny asked him though it wasn't really a question, or a suggestion it was an order.

Slowly the man who was coughing on his hands and knees gathered himself enough to crawl towards Johnny with Lance waving his gun in encouragement. As soon as he lowered his face to kiss his shoes he was kicked Johnny knocking him back on his back.

"Let's go get our engines." Johnny said throwing the rag on Ted standing and making for his ride. She watched feeling cold as they left the three of them making their way out wordlessly. Jesse was obviously freaked as he headed back towards the house, Dom having had Leon take her truck to the store so she was stuck accepting Dom's ride after they got to the house.

She sat in silence next to him, trying to absorb everything that had happened today. It was another long day for her and she had a feeling she wasn't going to have very restful sleep tonight. She was very angry about what had happened tonight and fighting to keep the anger contained. She had to work with Dom, she owed him a ten-second car and he was her boss she couldn't go off on him.

"How's your head?" Dom asked from beside her.

"Oh peachy considering it was hit but a shot gun butt and a brick fuckin' wall." She replied sarcastically.

"Brick wall?" Dom asked in confusion.

"If you really want to know, ask Vince." She replied shortly.

"Bri." Dom said hesitantly pulling to a stop outside Racers Edge.

"What? Got more questions about my past history you already know the answers too? More guns to have pointed at me and have me knocked out with?" She asked him sardonically. "No? Good. Thanks ever so much for a lovely night." She told him scathingly getting out of the car before pausing to lean in the open door. "Oh and about Friday? I really think it's better if we keep this relationship on professional terms from now on." She informed him before closing the car door and moving for the front doors of the store.

"What?" Dom asked sounding surprised and she turned at the sound of him exiting the car.

"Really Dom, don't sound so surprised. You've had me followed your buddy Vince knocked me out and held me at gunpoint. You more or less unsubtly threatened my life tonight. You _really_ think I'm going to go out with you still?" She asked him in disbelief.

"Bri." Dom started. "There is a lot more to it then that."

"You know what Dom, right now, I really don't give a shit! I'm tired I've had a long day. What with the head wounds, the death threats and the pleasure of watching Johnny Tran torture a man with a lube hose." She told him turning towards the door and pulling her keys. She started when Dom's iron grip grabbed her arm dropping her keys annoyance surging threw her as Dom turned her forcibly back to face him. "I think I've had enough of bein' fuckin' man handled tonight, Dom!" She spat angrily yanking her arm free.

Only to rock back on her heels almost falling back into the glass door behind her as her head lightened and blackness threatened. She blinked her heartbeat suddenly pounding in her head and ears loudly as her perceptions narrowed. She felt like she was floating there and time (or the neurons firing in her brain) slowed down. Then she realized she was blinking dumbly up at Dom who lifted her chin with his hand looking down at her with concern.

"Brianne?" Dom asked in concern.

"Huh? Wha?" She asked in confusion.

"You may need to go to the hospital, your head may be worse then we thought." Dom explained and she scoffed.

"Nah, just a mild concussion. It's s-not so bad." She assured.

"Not so bad my ass." Dom told her pulling her towards the car by her arm. "No Hospital…then you're stayin' with me." He told her.

"No!" She exclaimed, violently wrenching herself free. "In the same house with the same people that put me in this condition? With Letty and Vince and _you_? Ha, I think not. Had enough of that shit growing up. Hell I'd feel safer back in _juvie_." She bit back heatedly, noticing by the look on his face she scored a direct hit with that one.

"What do you mean you've had enough of that shit growing up?" Dom asked her and she sneered at him.

"More bullshit? Gonna ask me more questions you've already had Jesse look up the answers to? Funny I would've thought for sure I could tell if Jesse knew about my parents. I kept picturin' the sad puppy dog look of guilt on his face. Guess you schooled him too well, huh Dom? Want to know if it's true? That it? Fuckin' pigs told me they would keep my name out of it. Knew better then to trust that." She scoffed at herself, oh yes she knew better then that didn't she?

"So what? Want confirmation? Didn't believe your own eyes? Thought maybe the info was wrong? That maybe there was no way _I_ could do somethin' like that? Especially not seven years ago when I was only sixteen? Yes, it's true! Happy? I was helpless to save my mother from my fathers hands and she died, and when he came for me I blew his fuckin' brains all over my bedroom walls with _his_ **own **gun." She told him scathingly shaking with rage exhaustion or she didn't know what.

It was the look of shocked surprise on his face that told her she'd made a mistake and she started to back up away from him. Backing towards the door remembering her keys on the ground knowing he wouldn't just let her go in. If he wasn't planning to pity her before he was now and she looked down at the ground. She didn't want to see the look on his face the pity and disgust, she was supposed to be leaving this all behind her.

tbc

12


End file.
